Laura Shill and Joel Swanson: Personal Structures

Palazzo Bembo (Venice, Italy)

May 11 – November 26, 2017

Black Cube is partnering with the GAA Foundation, a Dutch non-profit organization, to host a large-scale exhibition, titled Personal Structures, which will coincide with the 57th Venice Biennale. The exhibition will take place in the Palazzo Bembo, located off the Grand Canal in Venice, Italy.

About the exhibition:

Black Cube will present two bodies of work by American artists Laura Shill and Joel Swanson, both based in Colorado. The exhibition is curated by Black Cube Executive Director + Chief Curator, Cortney Lane Stell. Shill and Swanson’s installations consider the complexities of binary structures in gender and language, exploring the spaces in-between. The dichotomies presented in these works reference the age-old pattern of how humans perceive the world through contrast - good and evil, male and female, day and night - and go beyond the polarity of opposites by exploring the in-between spaces of gender norms and language.

The Personal Structures exhibition is free, open to the public, and will be on display from May 11 through November 26, 2017. Exhibition catalogues will be available following the vernissage.

About the Venice Biennale:

For more than a century, the Venice Biennale has been one of the most prestigious cultural institutions in the world. Ever since its founding in 1895, the Venice Biennale has been in the avant-garde, promoting new artistic trends and organizing international events in the contemporary arts.

The Venice Biennale’s 57th International Art Exhibition will take place at the Giardini and is titled VIVA ARTE VIVA, and is curated by Christine Macel. The 57th Venice Biennale will include 87 National Participations in the historic Pavilions at the Giardini, at the Arsenale and in the historic city center of Venice.

About the Palazzo Bembo:

The Palazzo Bembo is a palace in Venice, Italy, on the Grand Canal, near the historic by the Rialto Bridge. The building is a contemporary art exhibition venue. It was built in the 15th century by the noble family Bembo. The building is on the San Marco side of the Grand Canal, wedged in between Rio di San Salvador and Calle Bembo.